International Justice Mission applauds landmark bipartisan legislation.

WASHINGTON, DC – On December 10, 2008, International Human Rights Day, Congress passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, HR7311. Originally signed into law in 2000, the reauthorization bill was passed at virtually the eleventh hour of the second lame duck session of the 110th Congress after House and Senate leaders reached a compromise. President Bush is expected to sign the bill into law in the coming days.

RWANDA - One of the most important ways to reduce vulnerability to the crime of property grabbing, rampant throughout Africa, is to ensure that people know their rights and how to report the crime to local authorities. This fall, IJM Rwanda hosted the community theater component of the USAID-funded Land Dispute Management Project. This community theater production was designed to creatively educate citizens about their land rights and to equip them to resolve the devastating crime of property-grabbing justly. The theater performances were held in Jali sector, a rural area outside of Rwanda’s capital city of Kigali, and drew more than 2350 men, women and children to attend.